Sorry for the '/i' and 'i's that show up, I forgot to remove them.
No Hindermate
Night drew in slowly in Wutai, the Da Chao mountain face had glowed gold, then red then darkened into shadows of purple, the streams and rivulets crisscrossing the tourist hotspot had shone white and gold as the sun had gone down. The Avalanche members had each watched in their own ways from their own places, Nanaki, who had dragged Barrett up the mountain path for a walk, and Barrett had watched from one huge stone hand, Vincent and Cloud had been walking together also, having intended to discuss the group's next move, Tifa, however, had come with them, and the conversation had become inane, though the two men hadn't minded so much, the last thing they'd wanted to was to go to bed and try to sleep with only heavy thoughts on their minds. Cait Sith was inspecting the flowers of Wutai, missing Aerith, the Moogle having been left inert back at their temporary 'home'. Yuffie was with her father and Cid, trying to convince the former that there was nothing strange about her friendship with the latter. Cid just wanted to go for drink and found this whole thing very awkward, but Yuffie had had a point, he didn't want to repeat with Godo the same arguments he'd had with Tifa, simply because he didn't think he'd come out of a fight with Godo intact, he was after all, Yuffie's father, not just her friend and impromptu guardian-big-sister.
But with the setting of the sun, and the coming of night, the haphazard group had drifted home, to the third largest building in Wutai, to the guest room of Yuffie's home, Godo had persuaded her to stay in her own room, the others were to crowd like sardines in the other room, it wasn't really all that bad, it was a large room, and it's original use long forgotten, three large sleeping mats, green, were laid upon the floor and they were supplied with blue pillows and duvets.
It was a little more awkward than with tents however.
The normal layout was simple enough, the two girls in one tent, Cid and Vincent in another, Cloud and Cait Sith and Barrett and Nanaki (because the Moogle and Barrett took up a lot of room, whereas Cloud and Nanaki didn't,) that didn't work here though, and Cloud found himself pounced upon by Tifa, Cid had dived almost instantly for one mat and Vincent found himself swept along in the action, though he made up his mind to move later when they'd all settled down. The last mat was left to the two cats, Moogle and Barrett, who wasn't there, to really it was left to the two cats, Nanaki dragged the duvet off the mat and curled up on that, the Moogle flopped backwards and Cait Sith curled up on it's belly.
Discussions were kept short, despite their situation, the Highwind having been grounded in Rocket Town for some repairs, spirits were high and they were all confident they would soon be flying again and moving onward, and nothing said or done seemed to bring that confidence down, not even when Cloud mentioned that Sephiroth was waiting for them. Barrett returned when Vincent was squirming away from Cid, "Leave me, Highwind, you can not change my mind, I shall sleep separate. I shall be fine," he grumbled and moaned and swore when he saw that he had very little room to himself, but gave up when no one paid any attention, and settled down with his corner of the mat and his pillow.
Cid, laying on his side and doubled over, felt strangely alone without the close confines of the small tents, to make things even worse he could feel the distinct presence of Vincent only a meter or so away, curled up in the folds of his own cape by the door, he felt guilty leaving his friend there, but didn't know how to change his mind.
He slept.
Waking only momentarily when a slender, sleep-bumbling, personage tripped over his foot, dropped something cold by said foot, then crawled under the duvet beside him, "Mmn? Yuf'?"
"Sleep now, talk later."
"…Tifa'll—"
"Muh."
"K," he didn't get back to sleep though, he listened to Barrett's slow, heavy snore, the quiet nonsensical crackle of Nanaki's fiery tail; that seemed uninterested in setting alight anything else, the ninja's soft breathing and the strangled, expected whimpers emanating from Vincent's shadow by the wall, "…Vin?" nothing, only Yuffie shifted, Cid pushed himself up, propped on his elbow, "Hay… Vince', ya awake?"
"…"
"I know ya are, I can tell."
"How?"
"Ya make a different kinda quiet when ya pretendin'."
"Oh. What did you want, Highwind?"
"Were ya havin' nightmares, sounded like it."
"Yes, I was."
"Thank you for waking me, I wouldn't have done so alone…"
"Ya wanna come over here?"
iYes/i "I couldn't intrude,"
"Ya ain't, hang on."
Vincent rolled over, he'd been talking to the wall, but now he watched Cid carefully move Yuffie over, "Dunno why she's even fucken 'ere," he heard Cid grumble under his breath, "There," he grinned in the darkness towards Vincent's glowing ember-eyes, "Nice space for ya."
"…Thank you," Vincent wrapped his cape around his shoulders, blanket style, and, clutching it, shuffled over, he blinked rather candidly at Cid's grin, but let himself be pulled down to the mat. He bit back a yelp when the pilot's arm snaked around him and his hand pressed against the gunman's shoulder blades, "Cid?"
"Hay, can't have ya rollin' over onto Barrett or no one, right?"
"Well…Okay," he relented, after all, they'd slept closer than this on the glacier and up through Gaea's Cliff.
Yuffie woke up cold and lonely, she was just about to damn Cid for it, when she saw her chosen sleeping spot had been taken up with another, she scowled, but knew better than to berate Cid for kicking her out in favour for giving Vincent and goodnight sleep, so rather she just crawled on top of them both, stole the duvet and curled up on Cid's legs, "I hope they go numb," she growled.
Cloud woke up for a while, his shuffling around brought Vincent back to consciousness, and the two stared at each other for a while, Cloud looked pleading, and Vincent, who was invariably the first awake in the mornings, was laying down the unspoken deal: iYou mention this, how I sleep tonight, to no one, and I shall mention those photos to no one./i
iHow did you know about these?i
iYou are not so careful, my eyes are sharp./i
Cloud wilted and nodded, "I'll keep quiet," he hissed, and moved back to his bed, clutching the two old and fading photo's, discovered, strangely enough, in one of the little used guest rooms on the Highwind, the two men on the photos, from dear moments long passed, looked out at him, one, beaming, the other, indignant and trying to look impressive despite the pink ribbon still tangled in his next-to-lustrous hair. Cloud smiled sadly and dozed off again, happy to know he wouldn't forget twice.
Vincent sighed heavily and Cid's hand slithered down his back to his waist, he glanced up, the pilot's hazy eyes blinked at him over a sleepy smile. Vincent didn't resist when he was drawn closer, only let himself use Cid's shoulder as a pillow, smiling, but not looking up, when Cid shifted, muttering, "Damn it kid, gonna get me into fucken trouble," there was a soft bump as Yuffie was pushed off of him, "Ah, can feel my legs now!"
It was much to Vincent and Cid's embarrassment that they weren't the first to wake up. First, Cloud, naked of duvet, who set about getting the creases out of his precious photos, then Barrett, who had, in fact, woken up once before now and had nicked the duvet from the tangled pile of humans that had been Cid when Barrett had fallen asleep, but which now seemed to be made of three people. The ex-miner had been too tired to pay attention then, but now he sat up and blinked in confusion over his shoulder, "T'hell?"
Cloud started and hurriedly pushed the photo's under the blade of his sword, "One night sleep and every t'ing changes!? The fuck is goin' on?" Barrett 'harrumphed' "Didn' know I was travelin' with a couple 'o fuck-arse pansies," he resisted the urge to poke Vincent in the ribs, not knowing what his reaction would be, and decided that he couldn't hold it against them seriously, not when Cid was sprawled out like that and Vincent looking so damn cliqued and 'sleeping beauty'.
"Fucker looks dead," Barrett sniggered, thumbing at Cid, "No one sleeps like that!" Cloud figured that either the man had snapped and was talking happily to himself or had realised he was awake, he sat up, but Nanaki was standing too, shaking out the rumples in his fur.
"Apparently," Nanaki said, "Highwind does sleep like that, for there is the proof. As for their sleeping together," he gestured to Vincent and Cid, "I'm more interested in what Tifa's reaction is going to be when she realises Yuffie's been with them both all night."
"Hooo fuck, they're in for it."
Cloud winced, "I think I should wake them up…"